Newsletter: In the Kitchen: Finding fish of our own

Fellow locavores,

Your potatoes come from Tehachapi, your peaches from Visalia, your tomatoes from the backyard. But when was the last time you ate locally caught fish? We’ve got the perfect place for you to visit. Just be sure to set your alarm — the action starts early. 

In addition, we take a look at one of summer’s perfect salads, fattoush; a dozen dishes that star perfect tomatoes; an ice cream scoop that may save your season (and an unusual ice cream to use it on); and a quick way to make homemade nut butter.

Looking for something fun and delicious to do over Labor Day weekend? Join me at the Los Angeles Times' The Taste at Paramount Pictures Studios, where I'll be hosting "Field to Fork" on Saturday, Sept. 5. For more information, please click here.

— Russ Parsons

Early birds get the spot prawns

The waters off Southern California are teeming with fish, but you wouldn’t know it looking at most seafood markets, where most everything comes from far away. One notable exception is the Newport Dory Fish Market, more than 100 years old and still run by local fishermen who are selling what they’ve caught just offshore — rock crabs, sea urchins, spot prawns, rockfish, even yellowfin tuna. The only catch is you’ve got to get there early to get the best selection.

Fishing family patriarch Stratos Voyatzis is shown with a photo of his younger self at the Dory Fleet market.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

Building a better salad

Summer is the season for assembling rather than cooking, and one of best things you can put together for a quick dinner is fattoush, a kind of Mediterranean salad with crisp flatbreads to soak up the juices. Food editor Amy Scattergood tells you how to make it in six easy steps.

Fattoush is a great way to take advantage of the freshest farmers market produce and the not-so-fresh leftover pita in your fridge.

(Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times)

Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

Tomato-palooza

Did you buy tomatoes this weekend at the farmers market? Of course you did. Do you need some more ideas how to use them? Dishes that will feature them in a starring role? We’ve got a dozen for you, plus tips on buying and storing.

(Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Times

Here’s the scoop

Sometimes it’s the smallest things that make a difference. Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter saved her summer by finding an ice cream scoop that really is better than anything else she’d tried. And just in time, too, because L.A. Creamery just released its second annual Hatch green chile ice cream — a frozen dessert with a burn.

The ScoopTHAT! II ice cream scoop.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times

A better butter

Almost every weekday my breakfast includes a graham cracker spread with almond butter. It’s getting to be a pricey habit. Just in time, Noelle Carter is here with a handy hack for making your own nut butters at home.  

Homemade almond butter comes together quickly using just three ingredients.

(Los Angeles Times)

Los Angeles Times

Check out the thousands of recipes on our Recipe Database. 

Feedback?

We’d love hear from you. Email us at [email protected]

Are you a food geek? Follow me on Twitter @russ_parsons1